Sweetener delivery systems are well known in the art. Most recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,970 to Sharma et al. discloses chewing gum compositions capable of effected a controlled release of the sweetener. This reference teaches a high intensity sweetener core encapsulated within a hydrophobic matrix consisting essentially of lecithin, a fatty acid or wax having a melting point in the range of 25.degree. C. to about 100.degree. C. and a glyceride. This matrix requires the use of lecithin as a surface wetting agent for difficult to coat sweeteners such as aspartame. Flavoring agents are disclosed as being incorporated in the core along with the sweetener. The extension of sweetener is due entirely to the delayed release caused by the encapsulating coating.
Numerous chewing gum patents have disclosed the use of thaumatin (talin) and monellin as flavor enhancers and sweeteners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,412,984 discloses the use of thaumatin or monellin in oral compositions at levels sufficient to enhance flavor but below the detectable sweetness threshold of these materials. Column 2 of this reference discloses chewing gum compositions containing polyvinylacetate, calcium carbonate and thaumatin, the later being disclosed as having a sweetness threshold of about 0.05% and at flavor potentiation levels of 0.01 to 0.03%. The thaumatin or monellin is directed added to the oral composition without being adsorbed or encapsulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,235 discloses a center-filled chewing gum having the center-fill comprised of thaumatin or monellin, in amounts of 5 to 100 ppm by weight, as the sweetener. The thaumatin or monellin is directly mixed with the carbohydrate syrup and flavors and incorporated into the gum shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,336 discloses a heat-stable sweetening composition containing a peptide, sweetener such as thaumatin, being mixed with gelatin in a weight ratio of gelatin to sweetener of 1:1 to 100:1. Incorporation of this composition into powders, tablets, dragees, semisolids and liquids is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,285 discloses a sweetener composition containing a protein sweetener such as thaumatin, monellin or saccharin together with a sweetener modified selected from the group consisting of aldohexuronic acids and salts, amides and lactones thereof. The modifier is present in amounts sufficient to reduce the sweet aftertaste of the sweeteners and the bitter aftertaste of the saccharin.
Other patents which discuss thaumatin and monellin relate to their extraction from their source plants and purification for human consumption. Examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,122,205 and 4,228,198.
Additionally, surface coating of chewing gum compositions with a rolling compound comprising from 0.5 to 100 ppm of monellin and thaumatin are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,076.
The prior art has focused on using thaumatin and monellin either directly into various comestible products or mixing them with gelatin or other powdered compounds to modify its sweeteners. It is apparent that a need exists for an encapsulating particulate delivery system such as the inventive one, which comprises powdered flavor composition contained in a hydrophobic matrix of fat or wax and a flavor/sweetener enhancer. The invention delivery systems are intended for use in food products, beverages, pharmaceuticals, confectionaries, chewing gum products, mouthwashes, toothpastes and other oral products intended for oral hygiene or ingestion.